Fauna and bird population of Alkhanay national park: II. Species composition, migration features and protection

The article presents the results of field observations of the final stages of spring and the beginning of autumn bird migration, conducted in late May - early June and September 2022, as well as the early and late summer composition of the nesting avifauna of Alkhanai National Park and its surroundings. Literature and our own data testify that the avifauna of the park is currently represented by 137 species. The structure of the bird population in the late spring period is quite simple - in contrast to species diversity (a total of 97 species have been recorded) there are almost no numerous species. Thus, the most diverse is the bird population of mixed forests, in particular larch-birch-pine forests - 38 species. In a few reservoirs, as well as in the river valleys (Ilya and Ubzhogoye), 26 species of birds have been recorded. Against this background, the settlements and the Siberian stone pine-larch woodlands are poor (10 and 8 species, respectively). The highest total density of the bird population has been noted in the lowland wet meadows (54.2 ind/km2), and the lowest - in the Siberian stone pine-larch woodlands (8.2). An increase in the species composition of the avifauna and population density is typical for border territories (ecotones), i. e. for the border of adjacent landscapes (for example, “reservoir - meadow”, mixed forests) due to the interpenetration of species of different landscape-ecological groups.